The Bad Boys of Summer Anthology(261)

His eyes hardened and I smirked. “Eliza, I’m not used to asking girls to come out with me. I’m telling you to.”

“You’re telling me I should come… with you?”

He nodded.

“What if I have plans?”

His lips pressed together, his eyes full of doubt. “Doing what exactly?”

“Reading. Maybe some painting.”

“There’re plenty of other nights to read and paint.”

“Maybe if you ask nicely, I’ll consider it.” I teased him, but he wasn’t smiling. I hated getting on his nerves, but I was getting a kick out of it. I wasn’t about to be walked over like a doormat.

Here was another thing about Gage I’d noticed: how he always told me to join him. He never asked me and it kind of bothered me because he was so used to telling girls what to do that he probably became spoiled in his own kind of way.

“Eliza, you have to come with me—”

I held up my hand, stopping him. “I don’t have to. If you want me to, why don’t you just ask me?”

“‘Cause then it’ll feel like a date… We aren’t dating, remember? Just flinging.”

I laughed softly, focusing on my book again. He was definitely confusing me with the easy girls he usually dealt with.

“Eliza… please?”

I looked up slowly, staring into his eyes. He grabbed my hand again and squeezed it. “Is this what you want? For me to beg with puppy-dog eyes?” He grinned.

“Not beg.” I giggled. “Just ask politely instead of telling me I’m gonna do something with you.”

“All right,” he sighed. “Can you please come to the bonfire with me tonight?”

“Yes, Gage.” I beamed. “I can come with you to the bonfire tonight.”

He laughed, pulling his hand away to rake his fingers through his tousled hair. A few pieces dropped onto his forehead, and I had the urge to reach forward and push them back. Unfortunately, before I could will myself to do it, he brushed them away. “You’re seriously gonna make this tough for me, aren’t you?”

“No, it won’t be all tough.” I smirked. “It’ll be more fun than anything.”

“You’re trying to punk me out. It’s cool. I can deal with it. Besides…” He sighed, sitting back. “Sooner or later you’ll be the one begging me.” He winked, sliding out of his bench to stand.

A few girls sitting at separate booths caught the sight of Gage and literally stopped eating. One of them was nearly salivating on her French fries while ogling him. Gage noticed and gave them a wink and they giggled girlishly, but I sighed, knowing his flirting wasn’t going to stop completely. Not anytime soon, anyway.

Hooking his thumbs through his belt loops, he turned around and walked for the arcade but took a quick glance over his shoulder at me, winking again. Why was I still watching him? I sparked with heat, biting on a smile as I stared down at my book. I really had to get used to his charm.



The bonfire hadn’t started yet, which left Gage and me lounging around inside the lake house. The house was huge, built with stone and expensive wrought iron, and I wasn’t sure who it belonged to, but they were pretty lucky to have it.

Gage and I sat on the sofa in front of a tall arched window. He’d pushed the curtains back so we could watch the sunset. It was beautiful. A few streaks of yellow and orange cascaded beneath the hovering dark blue. The moon was just rising as the sun was sinking, creating a view of simplicity.

Gage shifted beneath me and I moved so he could hook his arm around my middle, the back of my head against his chest. He had a beer in his free hand and drank from it. A part of me wondered why he wasn’t downstairs with his band brothers partying and drinking some more until it was time for the bonfire. I wanted to ask, but I didn’t because it was too comfortable to sit like this.

As I turned in his arms and placed my cheek against his chest, he looked down at me, his hazel eyes sparkling from the sunset. He was calm, humble. I didn’t want to destroy the mood so I kept my lips sealed… for a little while anyway…

“Have you ever had a real relationship before, Gage?” I asked. Immediately, I burned a fierce red but kept my gaze down, especially as he tensed against me, his grip slacking from my waist.

“No,” he said, taking a sip of beer afterward.

“Why not, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He shrugged. “I’ve never had the time for a real one.”

I nodded as if I understood, but I really didn’t and by his short responses, I knew he wasn’t up for talking about it. “Montana told me you’ve been talking to Penelope for a long time. You said earlier you’ve known her for three years.”

He looked down at me, his smile amused. “Did I?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“And I was wondering why? Surely you feel something for her if you bring her back and forth from state to state. You pay for her plane tickets, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged.

“Which means there’s something there… for her.”

Sighing, he unhooked his arm from around me and took a quick sip of his beer. “I have to keep Penelope close for certain reasons.”

I frowned, doubting him because there was no reason at all to keep someone like her around unless it was just for sex. Instead of saying something negative, I asked, “Why?”

“Because… she knows a lot about me that I’ve never told anyone—not even the band. She was around during the wrong time. Eavesdropping and snooping when she wasn’t supposed to.”

“What, so you think she’s going to use it as a weapon against you if you drop her?”

“Possibly. And it’s nothing to take lightly. She’s a dramatic girl. She’ll do anything for attention. She’ll blow it out of proportion if she has to. My reputation’ll be fucked, along with the band’s. Ever heard the saying ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer?’”

“Oh,” was all I could manage. I wanted to know what Penelope knew, but by the look in his hard eyes, I didn’t bother to ask. Instead, I slid in closer and wrapped my arm around his waist again. He sighed, kissing my hair, the tension seeping from his body. He finally leaned back against the sofa to relax, picking up his beer again.

“What about you?” he asked. “Have you ever had a real relationship before?”

I shook my head quickly. “No.”

He smiled. “Why not?”

“I just don’t think a real relationship is necessary right now.”

“So you don’t date? Is that what you’re saying?” he asked, smirking down at me.

“No, Gage, I don’t date. I don’t have time for it right now.” He let out a deep chuckle before chugging his beer, and I sat back to get a good look into his eyes. They smiled down at me and mine narrowed. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing’s funny. I just think you’re worth much more than a fling. I guess I’m lucky.”

“More than a fling with you?” I shook my head incredulously. “I don’t think it would ever work between us.”

“Do you doubt me that much?” he teased.

I laughed, folding my legs. I couldn’t get started on that conversation with him, but as I turned to look at him again, he stared at me, his head tilted and his beer bottle a little ways from his lips, as if he were waiting on an answer. My heart pounded and it was just my luck that Montana capped his shoulder, getting him to turn his head and look his way.

“The bonfire’s starting. Time to lick some marshmallows… and maybe some tits.” Montana grinned devilishly. I snickered at him and he looked at me quickly. “You should let Gage lick yours. Let him suck the hell out of ‘em, too. Heard it makes a woman feel good… along with a few other things.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

My face burned scarlet and they both laughed heartily at my coy reaction. Gage then placed his beer bottle on the table and stood to stretch, his shirt rising and revealing the skin just above his waistband.

I resisted the urge to tug him back down on the couch and climb on top of him. Maybe even lick him. Instead, I took the hand he offered and allowed him to help me up. He didn’t walk off right away, though. He pulled me into him and smiled down at me, his eyes deep and mischievous. “If you’d like me to lick them, I’d be honored,” he said as soon as Montana was out of earshot.

My stomach coiled as he looked me over a dozen times, watching my body sink against his with each second. He placed a hand on the small of my back, the other cupping the nape of my neck. I bit my bottom lip and his head tilted to the other side as he inched in closer. My heartbeat climbed and clambered against my rib cage. His lips parted and he licked them slowly. I could smell the beer, but I wanted to lick it away, to suck the remainder of juice off his tongue.

He pulled me in by the back of my neck and I moved with his hand willingly. He lifted my leg, and soon the buzzing around us cleared. Everyone had gone downstairs to get outside and gather around the bonfire. Fortunately, Gage didn’t seem to care much about it. He had enough fire igniting behind his eyes. He dropped his hand from around my neck, picking me up so I could circle my legs around him. He sucked on my skin greedily and I moaned, melting into his grasp. We stumbled toward the nearest wall and as soon as my back hit it, he delved into me.